狐 means “fox”

きつね · kitsune

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

きつね

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

コ

9 strokes

The story

The kitsune is Japan's most mystical creature, a shapeshifting fox that grows a new tail every hundred years. Nine-tailed foxes serve Inari, the god of rice, guarding shrines with stone fox statues.

Used in 狐火 (kitsunebi, fox fire; will-o-wisps) and 狐狸 (kori, foxes and raccoons; tricksters)

More from Animals & Creatures

• 蛙 frog
• 犬 dog
• 猫 cat
• 牛 cow
• 馬 horse
• 虫 insect
• 羊 sheep
• 豚 pig
• 鹿 deer
• 熊 bear
• 蛇 snake
• 兎 rabbit

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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.